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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949271">A Loose Stitch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoRoUrBoat/pseuds/RoRoUrBoat'>RoRoUrBoat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pridecember 2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gratuitous Depiction of Crocheting, Insecurity, M/M, Prideshipping, Yugi is a good bro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:41:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoRoUrBoat/pseuds/RoRoUrBoat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Pridecember Day 7 - Scarf</p>
<p>Atem likes to make things. Atem does not like to make things incorrectly.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Implied/referenced Mazaki Anzu/Yuugi Mutou, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pridecember 2020 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Loose Stitch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hell yeah, y'all! I made it a full week! Just like, three more to go lol. This is mostly just fluff with a dash of Atem angst. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Directionless was not a good feeling. Atem knew this well from his brief time being alive, both in the past and present. For that reason, Atem made sure his time was always occupied. It started with working at the game shop, but quickly bloomed into much more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Be it languages, crafts, or collecting, Atem was always found himself learning about something new. He came to realize a natural aptitude for languages, which generally filled his time. At least, at first.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But when his head spun from looking at too many foreign words or his throat went dry from speaking too much, he had approximately zero things to do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This led to him picking up, along with languages, hobbies. Hobby after hobby after hobby, in fact. There were just so many new things in this era, and he had so many options! Why relegate himself to just one or two?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On this particular week, Atem’s newest hobby was something a little craftier than his usual flower arranging or bird watching.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had, with all the preparation a few YouTube videos could give him, decided to take up crocheting. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something about the intricate designs, both 2D and 3D, one could create with simple repeated motions of a hand and hook drew him in. It was almost like magic, watching the hands in the tutorials create sweeping shawls and cozy blankets with nothing but a little piece of plastic and several hundred meters of yarn. Atem wanted to work that magic.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a simple trip to the Domino mall to find a craft store and collect his materials. As soon as he arrived, though, Atem realized it may be harder than he thought.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finding things wasn’t the issue. The store had neatly labeled sections and aisles, and crochet equipment was easy to find. No, the problem was </span>
  <em>
    <span>picking</span>
  </em>
  <span> something. The crochet section was overflowing with a veritable rainbow of yarns. From soft, stormy greys to eye-searingly reflective pinks, Atem had no idea where to start.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wandered from yarn aisle to yarn aisle, just trying to find his bearing, when he came to a rack of tear-off sheets. He stared up at it, and noticed that each sheet had some sort of photogenic person posing with a crocheted creation. He glanced up, and was gratified to notice the sign proclaiming “PATTERNS” in bright red paint. Perfect!</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Atem scanned the rack, and his eye caught on a photo of a man staring intensely into the camera while he swung a scarf around his neck. Atem’s first reaction was to snort at the image, but something about it struck him. The scarf, a weather-reminiscent grey bleeding into soft blue, gave him an idea.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If he just switched the grey with a clean white and went for a sharper blue…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, it would be perfect! Reinvigorated, Atem nodded to himself before tearing the sheet from the rack and hurrying to find his yarn.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had a blue-eyes white scarf to make.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>__</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Okay, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> Atem was getting ahead of himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Whatever.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had all started out okay, Atem practicing the stitches he’d need with the hook he’d bought and a little bit of his yarn. Chain 31, turn, chain one, double crochet across, turn, chain one, double crochet across, repeat until color change. Simple.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Or, at least, it had </span>
  <em>
    <span>seemed </span>
  </em>
  <span>simple. At first. Chaining was going well. Sure, maybe not </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the chains were the exact same size, but that was fine! It didn’t need to be perfect (Atem did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>cringe at that thought). Next came the turn, which went smoothly enough. Nothing really wrong there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then, it was time to double crochet across. Atem started by immediately putting his hook in the wrong part of the loop. Which, normally, would have been fine, had it not been for the fact that Atem continued in that way. Putting all of his next 30 stitches in the back loop, he turned it around to check his work and noticed a different design on both sides. It was subtle, but still noticeable. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Atem groaned, checked his pattern, groaned again, and then oh-so-carefully unraveled his last 30 stitches. Great.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once he had figured out how to put his hook through </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> loops in the chain as opposed to just one, things went okay. For a little while. As he worked, he found that his creation was getting… thinner. He held it up and, sure enough, it more resembled a wonky triangle than a rectangle or square. Atem huffed and checked his pattern. He read it and reread it, finding nothing glaring, until…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” One word. One tiny, very easy to miss word. Very understandable for anyone else to miss, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“How in the name of the gods did I not </span>
  <em>
    <span>chain fucking one,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he asked no one in particular, eyes to the ceiling as though imploring the gods he’d just invoked for help. He sat there for a beat, and when neither an Obelisk nor a Slifer came from the heavens to save him, he went back to his work.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Which, at this point, meant unraveling. Again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>About an hour later, Atem was back at the point he’d gotten to before realizing his mess up, and he was feeling pretty good. The scarf was mostly straight, the stitches were…. tightish, and the color was vibrant. He didn’t hold it up to take a better look. He kept working.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After another hour, Atem was ready for a color change. He slipped the blue, a color close to that of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s famous eyes, onto his hook and prepared to slip it through the last chain he’d done. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he pulled the blue yarn through the white chain, he was feeling good. He was feeling </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, in fact. He was actually getting somewhere, and it was going to be grea-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Atem yanked the tail of the white yarn to close the loop and continue with the blue, snipped the white off, and realized immediately after that he’d snipped both the blue and the white.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He hung his head. This was going to be a long night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>__</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By three in the morning, Atem had finished the scarf, woven in the ends, and gone to bed without a second look at the… thing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At seven in the morning, Yugi walked in to wake him up for breakfast. On his way to Atem’s bed, he noticed the scarf on the ground. He picked it up, and had to stifle a giggle. It was lumpy, misshapen, had a few holes, and the color change wasn’t subtle. It was also in the exact colors of a certain dragon lover’s favorite beast. In other words, it was pretty much the cutest thing Yugi had ever seen. Or sweetest, maybe. The thing wasn’t actually all that cute.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yugi, still holding the scarf, went to poke Atem. Atem woke with a jolt, shooting up in bed, an undignified “wuh!?” leaving him. He relaxed when he saw Yugi, smiled, and then noticed what Yugi was holding. His smile turned into a grimace and he rubbed the back of his neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You saw that, huh?” Atem asked, more awkward than Yugi had seen him in a while. Yugi nodded, his usual cherubic smile on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup! Is it for Kaiba?” Yugi already knew the answer, but he figured this would keep the conversation going. Atem sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you hold it up for me?” Atem sounded resigned, almost hesitant. Yugi unraveled the scarf and let the end drop to the floor. Atem groaned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You asked if it was for Seto, right?” Atem grunted. Yugi made an affirming noise, and Atem said, “Well, it’s not. Not like that, anyway.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yugi put the scarf on Atem’s bed and sat next to it, thigh to thigh with Atem. He put a hand on his shoulder and waited until Atem was facing him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Atem…” Yugi started, cautious, “Are you embarrassed?” Atem held Yugi’s gaze, but Yugi could read his face like an open book. Eyes just a little narrowed, chin tilted in defense, jaw set and teeth probably clenched. Atem was about to lie. Yugi gave him a reassuring smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay if you are!” Yugi said. Atem sighed, then nodded, relenting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What am I supposed to do, partner? I wanted to do something nice for Seto because he always goes out of his way to help me, and all I have to offer is…” he gestured lamely to the scarf. “This.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now it was Yugi’s turn to sigh. For someone as smart as Atem, he sure could be dense.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter that it’s not perfect. It’s the gesture that counts!” Atem just rolled his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Maybe to you, but-” Atem stopped when he realized what he’d said. “I-I mean, just, you and Anzu are different from me and Seto! You’re not- er, rather, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>… uh, simple…?” Atem hung his head. Yugi bit back another laugh and patted Atem’s back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I think I know what you mean. Anzu and I aren’t as competitive as you and Kaiba, right?” Atem nodded softly, head still hung in shame. Yugi held his next sigh inward and tapped Atem’s shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I know you and Kaiba like to…” He searched for an appropriate word. “...Push each other to be your best, but I don’t think that applies here.” Atem shot him a sharp look, and Yugi held up a hand, continuing. “What I mean by that is, Kaiba probably appreciates everything you give him, right?” Atem nodded slowly, contemplatively, clearly not seeing where Yugi was going. Okay then. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean,” Yugi kept going, “he loves you. You said he leaves the office even when you come while he’s busy, right?” Another nod, this one more sure. So they were getting somewhere!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, logically, it stands to reason that that means Kaiba </span>
  <em>
    <span>likes </span>
  </em>
  <span>when you do things for him, even if they might be inconvenient in some way. And this-” Yugi gestured to the scarf, “Isn’t even inconvenient! It’s something you worked hard on, probably spent all night on, and Kaiba’s gonna love it!” Finished with his speech, Yugi watched Atem for a reaction. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Atem huffed and turned away. Well, if he was going to be like that, then…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yugi patted Atem’s head, got up from the bed, and grabbed the scarf. Atem watched him carefully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you don’t want it, partner, then I’ll hold onto it for you,” Yugi said, innocent smile in place, “I want to have something to show you when you make a better one. Y’know. So you can see how you’ve improved.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Satisfied with the answer, Atem gestured for him to go ahead. “That’s fine with me. Thank you, partner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Yugi left the room, he was already calculating what time he’d need to head to the post office for Atem to remain oblivious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>__</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Seto arrived at the game shop a few days later to pick Atem up, Yugi hovered in the doorway, waiting to hear what would inevitably be an explosive reaction.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seconds after Atem flew out the door, a short “be back soon!” tossed over his shoulder, Yugi heard the sound of Atem’s raised voice and the quieter tones of Seto’s cocky cadence. Yugi sighed, but smiled nonetheless. They’d work it out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Yugi wondered, briefly, how those two ever got anything done.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>___</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Outside, Atem had met up with Seto to find him wearing a suspiciously familiar and incredibly ugly scarf. He stared, and Seto glared. “What,” he asked in his usual I’m-not-asking way, pulling the scarf up to his chin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Atem glared right back, though it was more directed at the scarf than Seto.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what’s wrong,” he accused, voice beginning to rise. Seto narrowed his eyes. He knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> what he was doing, the bastard.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>True to form, Seto toyed with the end of the scarf, not looking at Atem, and said, “Is this your problem?” For whatever reason, he wasn’t smirking yet. Atem balled his fists so hard his knuckles cracked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Warm,” Seto finished before Atem could continue. Atem stopped glaring, if only just. He waited for Seto to say something more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seto gestured to the monstrosity around his neck. “The workmanship is shoddy, but it serves its purpose,” Seto said. Then, he smirked. “It also happens to be in my favorite colors.” Atem felt his fists relax, as well as something deep within his heart. Despite Seto’s initially dickish remark, he was being surprisingly… nice. Atem loved Seto, but he could admit that he was a prickly douche when he wanted to be. So this…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Atem smirked back at Seto and Seto grunted, then turned to get in the car. Atem hurried to follow him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>can u tell i crochet lol.</p>
<p>If you liked it, feel free to drop a comment. If you hated it, also feel free to drop a comment. Just drop a comment.</p>
<p>See you tomorrow!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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